YOU DID IT.

PAN PULLS SB871

                                 photo courtesy of @sandiegoriseup

This afternoon, Senator Richard Pan released a statement announcing that he is “holding his school vaccination requirement legislation” – Senate Bill 871 – which would have (1) required CV19 shots for all children, six months and older to attend any school or daycare in California, (2) without FDA-approval, and (3) withdrawn the Personal Beliefs Exemption he promised would be available for any new shots added to the K-12 immunization list. Pan “explained” that he believed “a state-wide policy to require COVID vaccination in schools is not the immediate priority, although it is an appropriate safety policy for many school districts in communities with good vaccine access,” until children’s access to COVID vaccination is “greatly improved.” How much more “improved” than free vaccines at any Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, or pediatrician is beyond your team, here, and one can only imagine – and shudder to think – what he means. TO THAT END…

“On hold” does not mean this bill is dead or defeated. Senator Pan has other bills being heard that he could amend to add the vaccine requirement back in (“gut and amend”). The language of 871 could also be added to a “trailer bill.” However, (1) we have it on good authority that he does not have enough support from his colleagues to support the requirement; (2) the bill must be heard within the next two weeks and has not been assigned to any Committees; (3) Pan issuing the official, public statement he did today is more definitive than simply dodging the hearing like he was doing before; and (4) – but most importantly – our sources at the Capital are adamant that they have never seen the kind of engagement they have seen on the “Bad Bills” and legislators are re-thinking their positions.  In other words: YOUR EFFORTS ARE WORKING!

SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

Focus on the remaining Bad Bills, two of which are set to be heard Tuesday, April 19:

• AB 2098 Physicians and surgeons: unprofessional conduct (introduced by Assemblyman Evan Low, coauthored by Weber (above), Buffy Wicks, Senator Pan and Senator Scott Weiner) would designate the “dissemination” or “promotion” of “misinformation” or “disinformation” related to CV19 by a physician or surgeon as “unprofessional conduct” and allow the Medical Board to investigate. The Board will then base its decision on “applicable standard of care” and “contemporary scientific consensus” neither of which currently exist for COVID-19.
  • AB 2098 will be heard in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee at 9:00am.
• AB1797 Immunization Registry (introduced by Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, and coauthored by Pan, Low, Wicks, Weiner and Senator Josh Newman) will (1) consolidate all immunization registries into one, centralized database, known as the California Immunization Registry (“CAIR”); (2) add race / ethnicity to the information recorded; (3) require all vaccines to be entered into CAIR, not just school children; and (4) allow other entities – not just your child’s individual school and district – to have access to all vaccine records, “during a public health emergency.”
  • AB1797 will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee at 1:30 p.m. 

TAKE ACTION TODAY: